September 2009 Blog Posts (87)

What are you going to do about it?

A lot of people look to me for solutions to their recruitment and retention challenges. The fact is, we know what the answers are.

Join me for a conversation about the future of the volunteer fire service as I've signed on with Fire-Rescue Magazine (… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 6, 2009 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Disney-Marvel deal has $140 million termination fee

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marvel Entertainment Inc (MVL.N) would have to pay the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) a termination fee of $140 million if it terminates a proposed merger with Disney, according to a securities filing on Friday.

The $4 billion merger agreement, announced on Monday, contains termination rights for Disney and Marvel, including Marvel's right to stop the merger to pursue a "superior deal," the Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Marvel said.

Marvel… Continue

Added by Alex on September 6, 2009 at 4:59pm — No Comments

Loco politians

It was reported in our county paper this week that our county commission is looking into dissolving the E911 board and taking over until a new board could be formed. Let me say first off that I dont believe all the commissioners are for this.

The E911 board is to my knowledge not under the control of the county commission. They make decisions regarding E911 without having to get approval from the commission. I personnally believe they do a great job. The Director they hired (over protests… Continue

Added by Tandy Young on September 6, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

IS THIS YOU?

I was shocked, confused, bewildered, as I entered Heaven's door.

Not by the beauty of it all, nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven, who made me sputter and gasp -

The thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade, who swiped my lunch money twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor, who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought, was rotting away in hell.

Was sitting pretty on… Continue

Added by Rev John O on September 6, 2009 at 3:25pm — 2 Comments

Getting Familiar with Unfamiliar Dirt

I recently spent a week on vacation that included a lot of reading on the beach. I was able to complete a six-book series, the Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modsitt, Jr... an excellent read if you're into the genre. In one of the books, a group of soldiers is deployed to an area with which none of them are familiar. They're tired from traveling and just want to… Continue

Added by Ben Waller on September 6, 2009 at 12:20pm — 1 Comment

Just Enough Leadership

Henry Mintzberg is not a fan of the “American” style of leadership.

In the July-August 2009 edition of Harvard Business Review, writing in Rebuilding Companies as Communities, Mintzberg asserts:

"They sat in their offices and announced the goals they want others to attain, instead of getting on the ground and helping improve performance. Executives did not know what was going on, and employees didn’t care what went on. What a monumental failure… Continue

Added by Mike Ward on September 6, 2009 at 12:17pm — 6 Comments

Just cause your young dont mean you wont pass out in training.

Hello everyone,

Hello Everyone my name is Robert Howard and i am 21 years old. We had training recently on air management, Simple right, well at least i thought it would be. We were doing search and rescue training. Me and my partner were on the first rotation of the training scenario. We went in and started our search, we found the victim and seceded with our first rotation. After a visit to rehab and having our vitals checked and helped rilled the cylinders, i was asked if i was ok… Continue

Added by Robert Howard on September 6, 2009 at 10:40am — 3 Comments

Congrats! IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section 2009 Awards

Photo John M. Buckman III

Editor's Note: At Fire-Rescue International last week, the IAFC's Safety, Health & Survival Section announced several awards. As a strong supporter of the Section's efforts, we at FireRescue magazine would like to congratulate all of the award winners for their efforts in improving firefighter safety and survival.

Billy Goldfeder Fire Service Organizational Safety Award

This year’s recipient of the… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 5, 2009 at 8:00pm — No Comments

Wildwood

I Will be doing sound for "Apache Stone" at this years wildwood weekend sept 18/19 2009. come say "Hi"

Added by Car-10 on September 5, 2009 at 7:13pm — 3 Comments

St Andrew's Reading Contest.

Please check out the article in the WestOf newspaper.
Feel free to steal this program and use it in your area. The more we get out in the community, and the more literate children there are, the better country we have.

http://www.westof.net/main.test.php?category=schools&id=69

Added by Sarah Turner on September 5, 2009 at 3:35pm — No Comments

Near Miss: The 400-lb. Patient in the Room

NEAR-MISS REPORT

The 400-lb. Patient in the Room: We must ensure safe operations during unique calls, like transporting the immobile, obese patient

By Deputy Chief John B. Tippett Jr.

The role of the fire service has expanded well beyond the original concept and ideals promulgated by early colonists Peter Stuyvesant and Benjamin Franklin. What hasn’t changed in the last 300 years: the tradition of rising to the occasion when called upon to assist a… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 5, 2009 at 10:30am — 2 Comments

Lock ON..Lock OUT

How often have we in the course of duty focused on something to the point that everything else around us blurred out? Well, I realised this at a Senior Management Worskhop that I attended over the last two days.

The theory of "Lock ON Lock OUT (Pacific Institute), exposes a fundamental flaw in our thinking(not just firefighters, but everyone!).

For example, as Fire Chief; when motivating to my Council for budget, I put in all my energy into what I believe the Department 'is… Continue

Added by Previn on September 5, 2009 at 5:46am — No Comments

Heads Up! Part 2: How to perform a tree rescue

RESCUE TRAINING

By Andy Speier

Consider this scenario: A parachutist is blown off course and gets caught hanging by their chute in a tree 150 feet off the ground. The branch nearest the ground is 50 feet away, and there’s no vehicle access to the site. Is your department or rescue team prepared and trained to initiate a rescue in this situation? How long until the parachutist becomes unconscious and unable to assist with the rescue?

In my… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Time to Slosh: To add some variety to your workout, try a slosh pipe

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

By Jeff & Martha Ellis

For those of you looking to add a different piece of equipment to your fire station gym, or if you just need a little project and want to work muscles you haven’t worked before, it’s time to build a slosh pipe. A slosh pipe is nothing more than a 9′ piece of 4″ PVC pipe that’s filled two-thirds of the way with water, which should equal 38–42 lbs., and capped at both ends. Think… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Safe Shuttling: Best Practices for water-hauling operations

RURAL FIRE COMMAND

By Mike Kucsma

I’d like to think that the fire service is starting to make some strides when it comes to reducing apparatus accidents and, therefore, the number of injuries and fatalities associated with such incidents. And although I could make driving safety the topic of this article—and even address some personal near misses—I’m going to leave that to my colleagues who deliver the driving safety and seatbelt message louder and more… Continue

Added by Fire Rescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk 2009

So this year I decided to finally do the Tunnel to Towers Run/Walk. Every year I glance at it on TV but I don't tend to watch any 9/11 stuff for very long because it still bothers me. Still I always thought it would be healthy to do something positive to get my mind of of the bad stuff.

http://www.active.com/donate/tunneltotowersrun09/jlevitsk

If you click the link above you can sponsor me and give money to good causes. I signed up as a walking Firefighter so the 3.1 miles… Continue

Added by Joshua Levitsky on September 4, 2009 at 11:55am — No Comments

Share your memories of Jim Page

Today (Friday, Sept. 4) marks the 5th anniversary of the sudden death of Chief Jim Page.

Since joining FireRescue magazine, one of my biggest regrets is that I never met Jim, our founder and the vision behind FireRescue and JEMS. Many of my colleagues worked with him for years. The inspiration he gave them, and the respect they had for him, is evident in our offices nearly every day. When considering a new project or publication, we often question… Continue

Added by Shannon Pieper, FireRescue Magazine on September 4, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Guess who made it on to National TV today.....

Potomac Valley VFD & Bakerton Fire Department along with others responded to an incident at Maryland Heights today to rescue a woman that fell from the cliff.

For more information click on the following news links:

http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=78431

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/national/090309_hiker_rescued_from_harpers_ferry

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,546203,00.html

More links and info will be coming soon… Continue

Added by Tammy on September 3, 2009 at 11:22pm — No Comments

Time for another talk with the daughter

This from my almost 21 y/o college daughter.

School day 2: got the soccer class canceled by passing out so instead of taking a text in my next 2 classes I was surrounded by very attractive emts :) Best day yet!

I'm assuming she's OK since this was sent after her 'episode'.

Added by Jay Nicholson on September 2, 2009 at 8:38pm — No Comments

Dig In.

Dig in.

“Early on in my fire service career, we responded to a report of a tractor-trailer rolled over on a nearby state highway. We arrived on scene and found a truck lying on its passenger side. The wheels were facing the roadway and the top of the cab was on the shoulder of the road. The truck driver was being treated as walking wounded. It seemed like a relatively benign accident.

As we approached the curb side we realized that this was no ordinary call. It turned out… Continue

Added by Tiger Schmittendorf on September 2, 2009 at 6:00pm — 9 Comments